Found
by Crowfeather's girl
Summary: After Daryl saves Sophia and brings her back, Carl and Sophia connect and become even better friends then before. I know I said it was a oneshot, but Chandler Riggs said I should countinue, soooo let's see where it goes. This story evolved from a midnight shat with Chandler lol
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I was properly inspired to write this fic, so let's see how it goes. Writing children is hard for me for some reason. I don't understand it because I'm 14 years old, but whatever I guess. Now for all of those who know me, I usually write Daryl/Carol fanfics, but I decided to try something different ^^**_

_**Soooo, this is the result of me talking on facebook at midnight, so thank you Chandler for this idea! :) enjoy**_

_**Note: This is not a chapter fic...maybe but whatever. This is a story for the shows fav little boy :) here ya goooo Chandler **_

He remembered the look on her face as she tried the math problems her mother put in front of her. Her face scrunched up, concentrating on the book in her lap, her blonde her going in her eyes as she worked. Reajusting her head band, she went back to work, determined to finish the page before lunch was ready. Then she and Carl could play together. Carl wasn't getting any of his work done staring at her and decided to catch up on his work, which he already knew how to do.

"Sophia." Carl heard Carol's gentle call. "You almost done with those problems?" Carol was stirring something over the fire for lunch. Dale was on top of the RV, keeping watch for his mother who should have been back about ten minutes ago. Sophia finished the page, smiling with satisfaction and looking over at his book.

"Come on slow poke!" she teased as he worked, nearly halfway down the page. She was his only friend in this world, his only friend since the world ended and everybody else started to eat people. His own dad was gone.

"Carl." The boy was jerked from his memory, looking back at his mother who was waving him over.  
"Come help me tidy up." she told him and he groaned. He wanted to help, but not in this way. They needed every able hand, he didn't want to be stuck doing chores while the others got to help the group. Andrea was on watch on top of the RV and Carl saw his father talking with T-Dog and Shane in the distance.

Lori noticed the look on her sons face as he began to help tidy up, collecting the sticks and twigs around the area for their fire that night. She was about to say something when Andrea jumped up.  
"Walker!" her shout rang out, alerting Rick, Shane and T-Dog.

"Don't shoot!" Rick told her as she raised her gun. "Hershel deals with the walkers!" Shane and T-Dog had ignored him, each grabbing a blunt instrument. Rick sighed in frustration, holding his gun and bolting after them. Carl watched in awe. That's what he wanted to do someday. He wanted to be able to protect the group from walkers that broke through the property. If only his mother and father would let him!

He could see the walker now. It was a dark, hazy figure against the trees, hard to make out in the dying sunlight. Andrea had knelt down on the RV now, trying to get a better shot.  
"Andrea, don't!" Dale said, warning in his voice as she ignored him. Lori held Carl back as Rick and the others neared the walker, Rick's gun out as they stopped. Wait...what was that behind the walker? Were there two? After a second, Rick lowered his gun and Andrea took the opportunity, squeezing the trigger and letting out a satisfying sound as she hit her target.

Rick's yelling stopped her though. Carl jumped at that, watching as Andrea clambered down the ladder, Dale in pursuit as they ran out to meet them. Lori held Carl back still, not wanting him to see the horrific scene before them. Glenn had run out with them, panic clearly showing on his face as they looked the body up down as Rick and Shane walked.

Carl averted his eyes, only to have them caught on something else. There was a girl with T-Dog.  
"Mom! Look! He found her!" Carl pointed to the girl. No doubt it was Sophia. Wearing the same clothes she had on when she had gotten lost, clutching her doll. Carol ran past them, shouting her daughters name with a gleeful voice.

Sophia began to run, wrapping her arms around her mother's waist, the tears visible on he face. Carol was crying now as Sophia barreled over her. They sat in the grass, holding each other. Rick and Shane had come past Carl now, holding a very dirty, blood spattered Daryl. Andrea was fussing over Daryl, who was too weak to move, let alone push her away.

Lori left Carl, a look of shock on her face as she met Carol, who was clutching Sophia's hand in a way that looked like her fingers would never pry off her hand. Sophia was smiling now, but there was no mistaking that sad, scared look she had on her face. Her clothes were covered in blood, from what, Carl didn't know.  
"He found you!" Carl said as they made their way back to the house.

Carol's face was wet with tears, but a smile was planted on her face as they walked back, Sophia sticking close to her mother. Carl walked with them, hands in his pockets. He was happier then he let on, but he knew Carol wouldn't let Sophia out of her sight for a while. He'd have to wait to talk to Sophia. He wanted to know how she survived out there when it was just her alone. That was amazing!

"I'll have to thank Daryl!" Carol exclaimed, remembering her daughters savior. Sophia nodded and smiled enthusiastically.  
"He found me right as some of the walkers were about to eat me," Sophia's voice trembled as she remembered it. "He killed them." She said. That's what the blood was from. It came from the walkers Daryl killed.

"Let's get you inside and get you something decent to eat!" Carol smiled, unable to contain her happiness. Giving her daughter another hug, Lori and Carl were left on the porch.  
Carl decided her would talk to her later. Much later.

The next day

It was nicer the next day, slightly cooler now. It was getting colder and colder each day as fall began to take over. Carl stood in front of tree, knife out, carving something into the bark. He was bored and there was nothing to do. He was sure if he ran into his mom then she would make him do some problems in his book or clean up camp. Staying put was a better idea in Carl's book.

Carl heard something behind him and whipped around, knife brandished in front of him, ready to stab something. He felt his heart flutter when he realized how stupid he must have been to pull the knife. He was now staring back at Sophia, who had taken a good two steps back, eyes wide with surprise at his weapon. He almost smacked himself in the face, except he had a knife in one hand, so bad idea there.

"Don't gut me!" Sophia teased playfully, eyeing his weapon again.  
"Oh." Carl folded it down, putting it back in his pocket. He had tried to take the badass road, and kinda failed. He was dressed in his jeans, boots and a shirt, his fathers old hat perched on his head. Well, he wasn't Daryl, that was for sure.

"What were you expecting?" Sophia asked, coming closer as he put his knife away. "There's always a watch." She reminded him. Sophia had changed into the clothes her mother provided for her. She was now clean and happy and gorgeous as ever in Carl's eyes as he looked at her. She smiled, looking at her hands.

"How did you stay alive? Where were you?" Carl asked two questions at a time. "We went looking for you...But then..." He trailed off, unsure of he should tell her about him getting shot. Sophia looked up and Carl saw that spark of terror in them now. That terror that never went away when her father had been alive. It was reawakened and amplified.

"After Rick left, I waited a few minutes before trying to head back," Sophia began. Carl sat down, urging her to do so too and she settled beside him, messing with a piece of grass between her fingers as she kept talking, her gaze on the grass.  
"I went the way back best I could, but I got mixed up and couldn't get back." She looked back at Carl who was watching her intently now.

The wind blew through the trees, reminding them it was going to get colder soon. Carl shivered. What would have happened if they didn't find her? (A/N: hurrr I wonder xD)  
Would she have died? Frozen to death because of the cold? Maybe some walkers found her and dug in before she could have run off. Sophia would have spent the rest of her life a walker, stumbling through the woods, looking for her next meal.

Carl shivered at that thought, listening as she began to talk again. "I found this old house. I hid there for the night. I was too scared out of mind to do anything else." Sophia confessed, shivering as she remembered her days in the woods, alone.  
"I heard Daryl call my name and came running, trying to find him." She said. "I called out for him when I got cornered." Sophia brushed some hair from her face, giving Carl that smile he loved.

"Killed them with the last bit of strength he had left, looks like." Sophia let out a small laugh. She watched Daryl come into camp, handing her mom some of the squirrels he caught. She smiled and they shared a few words before he set out to his own campsite. Carl nodded and watched him go. It's like he had some sort of air of badassery around him as he walked. Carl wanted to be like that someday.

"I knew we'd find you." Carl finally said and Sophia's attention snapped to his eyes. "We just had to keep looking."  
"Mom told me you got shot." Sophia said softly. "Looking for me. I remember hearing that shot." She said, looking him over. Carl pointed to the spot where he was shot so Sophia could return her gaze to his face. Carl was intent on drawing something in the dirt with his finger as she talked, still paying attention as he did so.

"I wasn't going to leave without you." Carl admitted and he saw Sophia smile again as he gazed at her, head sideways as he picked up a twig from the ground.

Then she did something unexpected. Sophia leaned in and hugged him, squeezing him firmly. He hugged back, a little surprised at her actions, but happy nonetheless. Feeling her against him felt right. Because she was girl? Maybe. Because she was his best friend? Maybe that also. Or was it because he had feelings stirring her her that even he didn't know how to explain?

"Sophia!" They heard Carol call for her from camp and they broke apart. Sophia sighed, getting up. "See you around." she smiled, brushing her hair back, leaving Carl in awe as he watched her leave. She really knew how to make a guy feel special.

_**A/N: Alright, that was just a bit of fluff ^^ I'm going to look back on this tomorrow and go: "What did I write and why did I do it?" **_

_**This is just a short oneshot because I loooovveee this cute little pairing so much and I was sooo sad Sophia died. In my mind, she's still alive. Hope you enjoyed :) Feedback is appreciated, mainly because I tried to keep them as in character as possible lol **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Alright, y'all broke me. It seems like you always do when it comes to me writing Oneshots. Is it just not aloud, or what?Anyways, I have officialy deemed this Chandler's fanfiction and I hope he enjoys because he's one of the reasons why I'm countinuing this ^^**_

_**And a special note to all my other readers: I will most likely be updating my story Down the Ravine tonight so keep your eyes open ^^**_

"Do you think Shane was right?" Sophia asked, following Carl through the woods, balancing on a log as she went. It had been a hassle trying to get away, but with his mom no where in sight it had been a tad bit easier. was a whole different story. She had her eye on Sophia the whole time and Carl had to make up a reason for Carol to go away so they could sneak off.

"In opening the barn?" Carl asked her, looking back. The horrible memory of what Shane had done was still fresh in his mind. The barn massacre was horrific, starting with when his father and Hershel were found bringing to additional walkers to the already full barn. Carl thought about it a moment.  
"He did what needed to get done." He said firmly.

The shots from each gun still rang in Carl's ears as he walked. Shane's yelling followed as he shot down a walker that had stumbled from the barn he had opened moments before. Lori had been sure to keep her son back as they did this, pulling him backward. Carl had seen Carol covering Sophia's eyes and Glenn ran forward with everybody, guns firing as the walkers stumbled from the barn.

Hershel was on his knees, face twisted with pain and grief as he watched the group kill the undead as they came out. His wife, his stepson were in that barn. His neighbors and other walkers he found where in there also. Carl looked back at Sophia, who was giving him a weird look.

"I ment...Well..." He tried to justify what he was saying. "It wasn't safe." Carl finally said and Sophia nodded. They moved throughout the forest, sweating in the sticky Georgia heat as they went. It normally got cooler at night, but now the sun beat down on their backs through the canopy as they walked.

"Where are we going?" Sophia asked, looking around nervously as they walked. She never liked the woods, even before she got lost. Carl shook his head.  
"I don't know yet." He said, coming to a small clearing. They had gone pretty far, and Carl didn't know which direction they had come from. Well, that would be a problem when it came down to trying to get back to the farm.

would probably be freaking out by now, but it was just too much fun to get away from the farm. Sophia looked around.  
"Carl...Where are we?" She asked him, looking at the trees nervously. Carl hesitated before answering, but before he could answer he heard something moving in the undergrowth in the far side of the clearing.

He jumped slightly, hand reaching to his belt instinctively to pull out Daryl's gun. Sophia hid behind, trembling as she thought of what could jump out at them. She knew coming into the woods was a bad idea, but when Carl coaxed her to come, she just couldn't say no. They waited in silence, Carl's gun posed in front of him in the direction of the sound, waiting for anything.

A walker stumbled out, snarling as it came. It was a gross sight, decaying and covered in blood from its most recent meal. The walker was a woman, black hair matted with dirt and blood, it's foggy green eyes lighting up as they met Carl and Sophia's. The lace shirt it was wearing hung loosely on her rotting body, torn in many places. Her right arm had a large chunk of flesh torn from it, same for her neck where other walkers must have bit her.

Carl's heart beat as it came forward.  
"Kill it Carl!" Sophia shrieked, hiding behind him still. "Kill it!" Carl nodded, trying to get a grip on himself enough to kill it before it hurt one of them. He shot the gun, but missed and he stumbled backwards into Sophia. More were coming out of the trees now, no doubt attracted to the sound of the gunshot. Sophia stumbled back, screaming this time.

Well shit. Carl didn't mean to attract more of them. Turning tail, they ran away from the walkers that were oozing from the trees. Crap. He was going to be in soooo much trouble when he got home. Sophia and Carl stumbled through the undergrowth, breathing ragged as they ran away. Now they were defiantly lost. Carl was in front of Sophia, leading the way until he came to a stop.  
"I think we're safe." Carl gasped, leaning on his knees.

Sophia was looking around in panic again. "I think we're lost." she finally said, eyes wide as she took in their situation. Carl looked around.  
"We'll find our way back." he stood up all the way, looking around. Now they'd done it. Lost with no way of getting back.

_**(Back at camp)**_

"Little shits." Daryl grumbled, slinging his crossbow over his chest. Sophia and Carl had run off without a word to anybody about where they were going. Carol was in tears again, goin on about how she just got her daughter back. Rick was organizing search parties. He wanted them found before dark. Daryl decided to go alone again.

Time to play the hero again. Damn kids. Why the hell can't they just stay put. And why couldn't Lori keep an eye on her son? Heading back across the field in the direction Daryl assumed they had gone. He had just found Sophia, now she's gone off with Carl. Of course. Daryl could hear Rick and Shane behind him, following. Just when he wanted to get away from the two, they decided to follow anyways.

Daryl jumped when he heard a gun go off and he looked to where the sound came from.  
"Oh no!" He heard Rick gasp behind him and they broke into a run. Usually a gunshot ment someone was killing a walker. Most likely that little shit. Carl must have been using Daryl's gun. No wonder he couldn't fucking find it!

Legs burning, chest aching, they ran, looking for the children. What if one was already bit? Who shot the gun? Maybe it was one of Randall's group! Rick was in the lead now, Shane close behind him as they ran. Daryl's heart lurched when he heard Sophia scream in the distance. Then he thought of Carol. She would be heart broken to know that her daughter died in the woods.

"Hey, I hear something! I think it's them!" Shane whispered as they neared the clearing. "Quietly." Rick stepped out from behind a tree, letting out a cry of surprise as they walked into a wall of walkers.

_**A/N: So sorry it's short :( I'm goin on vacation tomorrow morning and I'm deciding to **__**try**__** and update most of my stories. I feel as if most of my readers want to skin me alive right about now because I've been working on other things.**_


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